Monroe, NC · since 2000
Remodeling a Kitchen That Opens Onto a Patio
Frame the door opening and rough in the kitchen first, build the patio base to meet the finished threshold, and paint last. The threshold height is set by the door and the patio together, so decide it before either one is finished.
- 1.5 inlanding drop, required egress door, per the model code
- 7.75 inlanding drop, other exterior doors
- 2%maximum landing slope
- The door opening comes first. It decides the threshold height, and the threshold decides how the patio is built.
- Under the model residential code, the landing at the required egress door sits no more than 1.5 inches below the top of the threshold, or 7.75 inches at other exterior doors.
- Landings are limited to a 2 percent slope, and hard surfaces near the foundation slope at least 2 percent away from the house, so the patio is nearly level at the door and then falls away.
- Do the dusty exterior work and the rough-in before the finish work inside. Paint goes last, after the door, the floor and the patio edge are done.
- A patio set on a new concrete slab waits for the slab to cure, which the NRMCA says typically takes 3 to 7 days.
The order, on one page
A kitchen that opens onto a patio is two projects sharing one threshold. The kitchen is interior work, with cabinets, counters, tile and paint. The patio is exterior work, with excavation, base material and a surface that has to drain. The shared point is the door, and almost every mistake in these jobs is a height that was never written down.
| Stage | What happens | Why it waits for the one before |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Decide the door and the heights | Door type, swing, finished floor height inside, patio surface height outside | Every later stage is built to these numbers |
| 2. Open the wall | Frame the opening and header, flash the sill, set the door | The threshold height is now fixed in the structure |
| 3. Kitchen rough-in | Plumbing, electrical and ducting moved, inspected and closed | The walls must close before cabinets can hang |
| 4. Patio excavation and base | Dig, set the base to meet the finished threshold, slope it away | The dirty work finishes before the interior finishes start |
| 5. Cabinets, counters, tile | Bases set, tops templated, backsplash and flooring installed | Interior finishes need the dust and wet work to be done |
| 6. Patio surface | Pavers, stone or concrete laid to the planned height | It is set to the door once the door and the floor are final |
| 7. Paint and final touches | Walls, ceiling, trim, door and door trim finished | Painting last keeps every other trade off a finished surface |
The door decides the heights
People choose a patio door by its glass and its swing. The heights come from somewhere less visible: the finished floor inside, the thickness of the subfloor and flooring, the sill, and the surface of the patio outside. Three rules of thumb save the most rework.
- Write the finished floor height down before demolition, including the new flooring thickness. A threshold that was set to the old subfloor ends up a step too high.
- Choose the patio surface height before the base is dug. Pavers, stone and a concrete slab are different thicknesses, and the base underneath each is different too.
- Decide the swing early. The 7.75-inch exception at the required egress door applies only if the door does not swing over the landing, so an outswing door changes the height rule.
The heights, in one table
The numbers below come from the model International Residential Code, section R311.3, as published by the International Code Council. North Carolina adopts its own residential code based on it, so use the table to plan the conversation with the inspector, not to replace it.
| Door | Landing or floor outside, versus top of threshold | Source |
|---|---|---|
| The required egress door | Not more than 1.5 inches lower | IRC R311.3.1 |
| The same door, outside edge, if it does not swing over the landing | Not more than 7.75 inches lower | IRC R311.3.1, exception |
| Any other exterior door | Not more than 7.75 inches lower | IRC R311.3.2 |
| Any exterior landing | Slope not more than 2 percent, and at least 36 inches in the direction of travel | IRC R311.3 |
Level at the door, sloped away from the house
The two rules look like they pull in opposite directions. The patio has to meet the threshold, and it has to carry water away. The model code resolves it with numbers: an exterior landing may slope no more than 2 percent, and hard surfaces within 10 feet of the foundation should slope at least 2 percent away from it. By our arithmetic, a 2 percent fall over 10 feet is a drop of about 2.4 inches, which is why the patio base is built with the finished slope in mind rather than leveled and corrected later.
A flat patio also sends water back toward the door, where it soaks the threshold, the trim and the paint at the bottom of the frame. The slope is cheap to build in and expensive to add afterward.
The patio base
The base depends on what goes on top of it, and the choice changes how much height the patio takes. Carolina Custom Stone and Hardscape, a Davidson company that covers paver patio installation around Lake Norman, explains on its brick paver page that a dry-laid patio is supported by a base of compacted gravel and sand, while a mortared one is set on a concrete slab. Ask whoever builds yours which they are using, what that adds to the build-up, and how it meets the sill.
If the base is a new concrete slab, it needs to cure before anything is set on it. The National Ready Mixed Concrete Association says curing typically continues for 3 to 7 days, so a patio that is mortared onto a slab sits behind that wait.
Finishes and paint
Two finishes meet at this door, and they are specified differently. Inside, kitchens take a satin or similar washable sheen (our sheen guide covers why). Outside, the door face and its trim sit in the weather, and they need an exterior-grade finish with the caulk lines kept sound.
The sequence for the last stage matters more than the product:
- Finish the floor and set the threshold trim.
- Complete the patio edge against the sill, with the joint sealed.
- Paint the ceiling, then the walls, then the trim and the door last, so nothing drips onto a finished surface.
- Walk the opening in daylight and touch up before the furniture goes back.
On a kitchen remodel we treat the paint as part of the job rather than a separate one: the crew that sets the cabinets and the backsplash paints the room at the end.
Permits and the wall
Opening a wall for a door is structural work. Mecklenburg County Code Enforcement says residential work costing $40,000 or less may not need a permit, as published on its permitting page, with exceptions for work that changes the plumbing design, the electrical system or load-bearing structure. A new opening in a load-bearing wall falls under that last exception, so check before the first cut. Outside Mecklenburg County, the same question goes to the local inspections office.
- International Code Council, 2021 International Residential Code, section R311.3 Floors and Landings at Exterior Doors, codes.iccsafe.org (read 27 October 2026): landing and floor heights at exterior doors, and a maximum landing slope of 2 percent. The local inspector’s edition governs.
- International Code Council, 2024 International Residential Code, section R401.3 Drainage, codes.iccsafe.org (read 27 October 2026): the grade falls at least 6 inches in the first 10 feet, and hard surfaces within 10 feet of the foundation slope at least 2 percent away. North Carolina adopts its own residential code based on the model code, so the local inspector’s edition governs.
- Mecklenburg County Code Enforcement, Permitting, code.mecknc.gov/permitting, as published October 2026 – residential permits, the $40,000 exemption and the work it does not cover, under N.C.G.S. 160D-1110.
- National Ready Mixed Concrete Association, CIP 11: Curing In-Place Concrete, nrmca.org (PDF, undated, read 27 October 2026): curing typically continues for 3 to 7 days, and a covering paper is less likely to mar or mottle the surface than plastic sheeting.
Which comes first, the kitchen or the patio?
The door opening comes first, because it fixes the threshold height. After that the dirty exterior work, excavation and base, can run alongside the kitchen rough-in, and the finishes inside wait until the patio dust is done. The patio surface is laid to the finished threshold, so the two meet cleanly.
How far below the door can the patio sit?
The model International Residential Code says the landing or floor at the required egress door is not more than 1.5 inches lower than the top of the threshold, with an exception of 7.75 inches on the outside if the door does not swing over it. For other exterior doors the figure is 7.75 inches. North Carolina’s own residential code governs, so confirm with the inspector before the base is built.
Can the patio be perfectly level with the kitchen floor?
It can meet the door at the threshold, but it should not stay flat. The same model code limits an exterior landing to a slope of 2 percent, and asks hard surfaces near the foundation to slope at least 2 percent away from the building. The usual answer is a short, nearly level landing at the door that then falls away from the house.
Do I need a permit to add a door to a kitchen wall?
Possibly. Mecklenburg County Code Enforcement says residential work under $40,000 may not need a permit, as published on its permitting page, unless it changes the plumbing design, the electrical system or load-bearing structure. A new opening in a bearing wall needs a header, so ask the inspections office before the wall is cut.
Do you paint the kitchen and the new door?
Yes. The kitchen walls, ceiling and trim are painted last by the same crew, so the cut-in at the new backsplash and the finish on the door and its trim are done once, after the dust and the heavy work are finished.
Get a free estimate
Want this looked at on your house?
General advice only goes so far. Somebody comes out, looks at what you actually have, and puts a number in writing. Free, and there is no obligation.